Awesome of the Day: Mario Batali + Dogfish Head + Russian River

I love living in Decatur, Ga. I really do. We have better restaurants and pubs within the mile of my home and the Paste office than nearly anywhere else in Atlanta. But every so often, I’m reminded that there are ways we just can’t compete with New York. This is one of those reminders.

Dogfish HeadBrewery (Paste pick for Best American Brewery of the Decade) announced recently that it’s head brewer Sam Calagione, and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian RiverBrewing Company (#7 on the list), along with two Italian craft brewers—Teo Musso of Birrificio Le Baladin and Leonardo Di Vincenzo—will be helping Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich open a brew-pub on the 8,000-square-foot rooftop of their Italian food emporium Eataly—right in view of The Empire State and Flat Iron buildings.

The house-brewed beers will feature Italian and American ingredients. “The beers will be unpasteurized, unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and hand-pulled through traditional beer engines for the most authentic and pure presentation,” according to the press release. “The four individual brewers will also occasionally brew beers under their own names on site. The rooftop restaurant project will pair artisanal rustic, homemade beers with the artisanal, rustic cooking of Chef Mario Batali. Additional Italian and American regional craft beers will be served both at the rooftop bar and within the downstairs restaurants.”

“While the Italian craft brewing renaissance started later than ours here in the states, they have quickly made up for lost time with world class artisanal beers,” says Calagione.

“Eataly Brewery will be a great fusion of the well-known Italian gastronomic culture and our rising beer culture with the taste and the creativity of the American craft beer movement,” adds Di Vincenzo. “This may well be the craziest and amazing brewery in the world.”

If you’re looking for a second location outside of New York, Mr. Batali, can I recommend downtown Decatur?